Fast-growing willow shrub named &#39;canastota&#39;

ABSTRACT

A distinct male cultivar of  Salix sachalinensis×S. miyabeana  named ‘Canastota’, characterized by rapid stem growth producing greater than 2.7-fold more woody biomass than its female parent ( Salix sachalinensis  ‘SX61’), 28% greater woody biomass yield than its male parent ( Salix miyabeana  ‘SX64’), and 20% greater woody biomass yield than a standard production cultivar,  Salix dasyclados  ‘SV1’ when grown in the same field for the same length of time (two growing seasons after coppice) in Tully, N.Y. ‘Canastota’ can be planted from dormant stem cuttings, produces multiple stems after coppice, and the stem biomass can be harvested when the plant is dormant. In the spring following harvest, the plant will re-sprout very vigorously, producing new stems that can be harvested after two to four years of growth. This harvest cycle can be repeated several times. ‘Canastota’ displays a low incidence of rust disease or damage by willow sawfly.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is related to the following plant patent applications,all of which are subject to assignment to the Research Foundation of theState University of New York, and each of which is being filed on evendate herewith: “Fast-Growing Shrub Willow” Named ‘Fish Creek’,application Ser. No. 11/244,988, further identified by Attorney docketnumber 1279-001; “Fast-Growing Shrub Willow” Named ‘Millbrook’,application Ser. No. 11/244,636, further identified by Attorney docketnumber 1279-003; “Fast-Growing Shrub Willow” Named ‘Oneida’, applicationSer. No. 11/244,975, further identified by Attorney docket number1279-004; “Fast-Growing Shrub Willow” Named ‘Otisco’, application Ser.No. 11/244,987, further identified by Attorney docket number 1279-005;“Fast-Growing Shrub Willow” Named ‘Owasco’, application Ser. No.11/244,842, further identified by Attorney docket number 1279-006; and“Fast-Growing Shrub Willow” Named ‘Tully Champion’, application Ser. No.11/244,635, further identified by Attorney docket number 1279-007. Thevariety of fast-growing shrub willow named ‘Canastota’ was produced inthe willow breeding program at the State University of New York Collegeof Environmental Science and Forestry, as were other varieties,including: ‘Fish Creek’, ‘Millbrook’, ‘Oneida’, ‘Otisco’, ‘Owasco’, and‘Tully Champion’.

STATEMENT AS TO RIGHTS TO INVENTIONS MADE UNDER FEDERALLY-SPONSOREDRESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

The invention described herein was reduced to practice during thefunding period of Contract 4000003235 (SUNY Research Foundation Award011275) awarded by Oak Ridge National Laboratory, managed by UT-Batellefor the United States Department of Energy under contractDE-AC05-00OR22725, and of agreement number 6267 (SUNY ResearchFoundation Award 011536) awarded by the New York State Energy Researchand Development Authority.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention is a new and distinct cultivar known by the varietal name‘Canastota’ resulting from the novel hybridization of Salixsachalinensis with Salix miyabeana. The new variety was produced throughcontrolled willow breeding conducted by the inventors at the StateUniversity of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry inSyracuse, N.Y. The objective of the breeding program is to produce newwillow cultivars that generate high biomass yields on a variety ofsites, are resistant to diseases and pests, and possess agronomic traitssuitable for mechanical planting, harvesting, and post-harvestprocessing. Shrub willow is being developed as an agricultural cropplant that will be grown and harvested as a sustainable, renewablesource of energy. Once a field planting of shrub willows is established,the woody stems can be harvested every three years, and new shoots willre-sprout the following season. Repeated harvesting every two to fouryears can be sustained for at least 15 years.

2. Description of Relevant Prior Art Including Information DisclosedUnder 37 CFR 1.97-1.99

This new variety of Salix sachalinensis×S. miyabeana was the seedlingprogeny of the controlled pollination of the female clone Salixsachalinensis ‘SX61’ by the male clone Salix miyabeana ‘SX64’ performedin February 1999 in Syracuse, N.Y. The new variety is distinguished fromthe female parent in that it is male. The plant has been propagatedrepeatedly by stem cuttings and has been found to retain its distinctivecharacteristics through successive propagations and field trials. Morespecifically, the plant has been asexually reproduced by collectingdormant stems during the winter months from a plant growing in Syracuse,N.Y.; cutting them into 5 inch or 10 inch pieces (cuttings); thenplanting those cuttings in the field in Tully, N.Y. in the spring or inpotting mix in the greenhouse, then transplanting the rooted cuttings tothe field in Tully, N.Y.

Both parents (Salix sachalinensis ‘SX61’ and Salix miyabeana ‘SX64’ wereoriginally transferred from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, to Syracuse, N.Y.in 1994 and were vegetatively propagated from stem cuttings. The growthof the parent plants was characterized in experimental studies in Tully,N.Y. Both parents displayed rapid stem growth and low incidence of rustdisease, so were chosen to serve as parents in a cross. The seedlingsproduced by this cross (cross identification # 9970) were firstestablished in a greenhouse, and then were transplanted to a field inSyracuse, N.Y. This particular individual (individual #9970-036) wasselected from the family due to its exceptional stem height growth.

The new cultivar has been grown in Syracuse, N.Y. and Tully, N.Y., whichhave a normal yearly average daily temperature of 47° F., normal dailymaximum temperature in July of 82° F., normal daily minimum temperaturein January of 14° F., and average precipitation of 40 inches. The newcultivar grows from a rooted cutting to a fully mature plant ready forharvest in approximately three years.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The Salix sachalinensis×S. miyabeana cultivar ‘Canastota’ has not beenobserved under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype mayvary somewhat with variations in environments such as temperature, lightintensity and length of illumination, without, however, any variation ingenotype. The new and distinct cultivar presents the following traitsthat have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the uniquecharacteristics of ‘Canastota’. These characteristics in combinationdistinguish ‘Canastota’ as a new and distinct cultivar:

-   -   1. Rapid growth rate, producing greater than 2.7-fold more woody        biomass than its female parent (Salix sachalinensis ‘SX61’), 28%        greater woody biomass yield than its male parent (Salix        miyabeana ‘SX64’), and 20% greater woody biomass yield than a        standard production cultivar, Salix dasyclados ‘SV1’ when grown        in the same field for the same length of time (two growing        seasons after coppice) in Tully, N.Y.    -   2. Low incidence of rust disease or willow sawfly damage as        assessed in nursery plantings in Tully, N.Y. in October, 2004.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The accompanying color photographs show the features of the claimedcultivar in a manner as true as is reasonably possible. Theillustrations include:

FIG. 1.1 illustrates two-year-old portion of stem collected whiledormant;

FIG. 1.2 illustrates one-year-old portion of stem collected whiledormant;

FIG. 1.3 illustrates a vegetative bud in dormancy;

FIG. 1.4 illustrates a floral bud in dormancy;

FIG. 1.5 illustrates new shoot growth from a stem cutting rooted insoil:sand in a greenhouse;

FIG. 1.6 illustrates upper leaf surface;

FIG. 1.7 illustrates lower leaf surface;

FIG. 1.8 illustrates mature catkin;

FIG. 1.9 illustrates stamen and densely pubescent floral bract;

FIG. 1.10 illustrates lenticels; and

FIG. 2.1 illustrates the biomass yield two years after coppice in Tully,N.Y. as compared to other shrub willows.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW PLANT

The following detailed description sets forth characteristics of the newplant. The following observations and measurements describe plants grownby asexual reproduction in Syracuse, N.Y. or Tully, N.Y. underconditions as described hereinabove. Color references are made using TheRoyal Horticultural Society Colour Chart (hereinafter the R.H.S. ColourChart) of The Royal Horticultural Society of London, England, exceptwhere general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used.

-   Botanical description of the plant: The following detailed    description of the ‘Canastota’ variety is based on observations from    10 inch cuttings grown in a greenhouse in Syracuse, N.Y. Cuttings    were grown in 7 inch tubes in a (1:1) ProMix®/sand (v/v) substrate    under natural light from December 2004 to March 2005. Plants were    irrigated with automatic misting for 6 minutes at 2 hour intervals    five times each day.-   Latin Name: Salix sachalinensis×S. miyabeana-   Varietal denomination: ‘Canastota’-   Parentage:    -   -   Female or seed parent.—S. sachalinensis ‘SX61’.        -   Male or pollen parent.—S. miyabeana ‘SX64’.-   Propagation:    -   -   Type.—Stem cuttings.        -   Time to rooting.—Approximately 10 days in water at 21° C.-   Precocity: Subprecocious — Catkins mature as leaves begin to break    bud.-   Plant description: The color of one-year-old stems observed when    dormant is typically grey orange (RHS 171A), while two-year-old    stems are yellow-green (RHS 152B) with bark beginning to crack and    the cuticle broken and textured. Dormant vegetative buds are dark    red (RHS 180A), 4.5 mm in length, narrow, and acute. Lenticels are    peach colored and randomly scattered, 0.5-1 mm in diameter. The    leaves are simple and alternate with pinnate venation. The upper    surface of leaves is glabrous and glossy with distinct pinnate    venation. The lower surface is glabrous and slightly glaucous.    Typical petioles on mature leaves grown under field conditions in    early October are 4 mm in length, green-yellow (#1B) and 1.5-2.0 mm    in diameter. The petiole in FIGS. 1.6-1.7 from a greenhouse-grown    plant is green (144D) and 1 mm wide. Stipules are lanceolate,    serrate, curved, and typically 3-4 mm in length. Pubescent immature    leaves. Mature leaves are oblong, acute apex, acute to obtuse base,    typically 8.5-12.0 cm in length, 1.7-2.1 cm in width, serrate    margin, adaxial (upper) surface green (RHS 144A), abaxial (lower)    surface pale green (RHS 143C), and stem light pale green (RHS 144D)    at 5 weeks of growth. The typical diameter of two-year old stems at    a height of 1 m is 1.5 cm. The bark color of field-grown stems    determined in early October after two growing seasons is    greyed-green (#195A). The surface is slightly textured with shallow    thin longitudinal furrows and raised reddish lenticels. The average    plant height of a mature plant after three seasons of growth is 5-6    m, with a typical spread at the crown of 1.0-1.5 m in the typical    planting spacing of 0.6×0.7 m.-   Flowering description: Dormant floral buds are ovate, diameter    rounded, beak-like apex, slightly raised to form a very small acute    angle with stem, typically 10 mm in length, bright dark red (RHS    60A). Peduncle of catkin is short and bears four leafy bracts.    Catkins are curved 90-180°, typically 2.8 cm in length, broadly    cylindrical, and densely flowered. Flowers have one stamen, and one    nectary, a densely pubescent floral bract with a green base and    pink-purple obtuse apex, long united filament two times the length    of the floral bract, and small anthers.-   Field growth characteristics: Determined through surveys of plants    growing in the field in Tully, N.Y.

Disease and pest resistance: Surveys completed in October 2004 in Tully,N.Y. indicate no to low levels of detectable rust incidence and no tolow incidence of sawfly or beetle damage.

-   Temperature tolerance: Stems typically do not suffer frost damage at    temperatures as low as 10° F. and may suffer only minor tip dieback    at lower temperatures.-   Seed production: None — does not produce female flowers-   Biomass yield: Mean total dry stem biomass expressed as oven dry    tons (odt) per hectare (ha) and year (yr) produced through two    growing seasons after coppice in four 4-plant plots (‘Canastota’,    13.3 odt ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹) measured in a yield trial growing at the Tully    Genetics Field Station in Tully, N.Y. in February 2005 was greater    than the mean biomass yield of either parent (‘SX61’, 4.8 odt ha⁻¹    yr⁻¹; ‘SX64’, 10.4 odt ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹) and was greater than a current    production cultivar (‘SV1’, 11.0 odt ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹) growing in the same    trial (FIG. 2.1).

1. A new and distinct variety of a Salix sachalinensis×S. miyabeanaplant substantially as illustrated and described herein.